I always asked for a ping-pong table each Christmas, but my dad had a pretty good counter-argument: "You're an only child. Who's going to play with you?" Sad, but true. Which is why I always got socks and Hardy Boys books instead of my coveted table-tennis setup.

Thankfully, today's only children needn't suffer as I did, provided Mom or Dad's willing to shell out $2,299.99 for the Butterfly Amicus 3000 Robot. It won't hit back to you, of course, but the 'bot can shoot off up to 100 balls per minute. It can also be programmed via remote to emit a specific shot sequence, so a ping-pong prodigy can work the backhand and the lob. Perhaps someday your kid's name will be recognized right up there with such legendary table-tennis champs as Ma Lin, Wang Ligin, and Deng Yaping. The dream is alive.

Butterfly Amicus 3000 Robot [Fogdog Sports]

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